Notice: All courts will be closed on Friday, April 3, 2015 in observance of GOOD FRIDAY , except Municipal Court's Arraignment Court and the filing of Emergency Protection from Abuse Petitions at t Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice, 1301 Filbert St.

Notice to Jurors: The eJuror system is being updated and is currently unavailable. Please mail your completed questionnaire to the court. The eJuror system will be back online after the maintenance is completed.

Orphans' Division

The Orphans' Division is one of the three divisions of the Court of Common Pleas, and serves to protect the personal and property rights of all persons and entities who are otherwise incapable of managing their own affairs. The name "Orphans" in the name of the Court is derived from the general definition of "orphan" as one lacking protection, not the common association of a child deprived by the death of his or her parents. It is the Court's mission to insure that the best interests of those persons and entities, who are "orphans" in the general sense of the word, are not compromised.

Currently assigned to the Orphans' Court Division are Administrative Judge Matthew D. Carrafiello, Judge John W. Herron, and Judge George W. Overton.

The Court's jurisdiction extends to minors, incapacitated persons, decedents, trusts, principals and agents under powers of attorney, non-profit charitable organizations, cemetery companies, birth records and marriage licenses. The Court appoints guardians for minors and incapacitated persons to handle their financial affairs and/or their health and safety needs. The actions and accounts of fiduciaries, including guardians, agents under powers of attorney, executors, administrators, and trustees are examined and audited. The Court hears disputes involving inheritance and estate tax and marital license issues. Questions regarding the administration and distribution of the decedents', minors' and incapacitated persons' estates, testamentary and inter vivos trusts, special needs trusts, non-profit corporations organized for charitable purposes, as well as Appeals from the Register of Wills are adjudicated and resolved. Settlements of actions involving minors, incapacitated persons, decedent's estates and wrongful death and survival beneficiaries are reviewed. Authorizations to act as an approved corporate fiduciary are issued by the Court.

Resources available on the Orphans' Court's website include: a Guardian's Manual, the current year's Audit List Calendar, the list of currently approved Corporate Fiduciaries, a manual and tutorial to the electronic filing system, the Orphans' Court Rules for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County Orphans' Court Rules, Links to commonly used Forms and the Philadelphia Estate Practitioner Handbook as well as access to the Online Docket System and the Electronic Filing System.

Philadelphians can take pride in the fact that Orphans' Courts have been held in this City since 1683. They can further take pride in the able and distinguished jurists who have sat as Judges of those Courts. The current Judges of this Division continue a long and illustrious tradition.

King Charles II granted the province of Pennsylvania to William Penn by Royal Charter dated March 4, 1681. William Penn came to Pennsylvania in October of 1682 and called a General Assembly. See Section 1, pages 11-12 of The Pennsylvania Manual, Volume 112 (December, 1995) Sitting at Chester, on December 7, 1682, the first General Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania enacted the 77th Law which provided that the justices of each County Court should sit, "....to inspect and take care of the estates, usage, and employment of orphans, which shall be called the Orphans' Court * * * That care may be taken for those, that are not able to take care for themselves." See Opinion by Trimble, P.J., in Harton's Estate (No. 2), 86 P.L.J. 18, at page 21 (1938). "It is probable, that both the name and jurisdiction of this court were borrowed from the Court of Orphans of the city of London, which had the care and guardianship of children of deceased citizens of London, in their minority, and could compel executors to file inventories, and give security for their estates." See Opinion by Justice Sergeant in the matter of Wimmer's Appeal, 1 Wh. 95, 101 (1835).

The Orphans' Court of Philadelphia County was organized as a separate court of record under the Constitution of 1874, on January 4, 1875, and consisted of three judges. Three more judges were added, one each, in 1887, 1907 and 1927. Judge Allen M. Stearne and Judge Grover C. Ladner rose to become Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Judge Charles Klein was appointed to the Court on December 24, 1934, and, became President Judge on January 14, 1952. Judge Klein served as the last President Judge of the Orphans' Court of Philadelphia County, and, the first Administrative Judge of the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County. By constitutional amendment, effective January 1, 1969, the separate Orphans' Court of Philadelphia County was abolished and became the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.

Judicial History of The Orphans' Division

From January 4, 1875 to January 1, 1969, the following Judges sat on the Orphans' Court of Philadelphia County:

William B. Hanna

Dennis W. O'Brien

T. Bradford Dwight

William N. Ashman

Clement B. Penrose

Joseph C. Ferguson

Morris Dallett

Joseph F. Lamorelle

Edward A. Anderson

Charles Francis Gummey

John Marshall Gest

George Henderson

Henry C. Thompson, Jr.

Lewis H. Van Dusen

Allen M. Stearne

Charles Sinkler

Charles Klein

Curtis Bok

Robert V. Bolger

Grover C. Ladner

David G. Hunter

John P. Boland

Mark E. Lefever

Harold D. Saylor

Kendall H. Shoyer

Joseph D. Burke

On January 1, 1969, the Orphans' Court of Philadelphia became a division of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Since the merger, the following Judges have sat in the Orphans' Court Division of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas:

Charles Klein

Robert V. Bolger

Mark E. Lefever

Harold D. Saylor

Kendall H. Shoyer

Joseph D. Burke

Edmund S. Pawelec

Paul Silverstein

Theodore S. Gutowicz

Joseph C. Bruno

Judith Jamison

Alex Bonavitacola

Theodore A. McKee

Kathryn S. Lewis

Frank X. O'Brien

Levan Gordon

Petrese B. Tucker

Anne E. Lazarus

Joseph D. O'Keefe

Lynn B. Hamlin

John W. Herron

Matthew D. Carrafiello

George W. Overton

The history of the position of Administrative Judge of the Orphans' Court Division is as follows:

Judge Edmund S. Pawelec January 5, 1976 - July 1, 1992

Judge Kathryn S. Lewis July 1, 1992 - April 1, 1996

Judge Petrese B. Tucker April 1, 1996 - July 14, 2000

Judge Alex Bonavitacola* July 14, 2000 - December 22, 2000

Judge Joseph D. O'Keefe December 22, 2000 - December 31, 2014

Judge Matthew D. Carrafiello January 5, 2015 - Present

*Judge Bonavitacola, as President Judge of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, assumed a "Supervisory" role over the Orphans' Court until Judge O'Keefe was named as successor to Judge Tucker.

Clerk of Orphans' Court

The Register of Wills of Philadelphia County is the ex officio Clerk of the Orphans' Court which maintains and certifies Orphans' Court records, issues citations, marriage licenses and other process.

The following materials on incapacity proceedings were made available to the bar as part of a CLE Course. They are intended for informational use only and should not be considered official court or court endorsed forms.

If you have a criminal charge and cannot afford legal counsel, contact your local public defender's office. The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network helps those who cannot afford a lawyer with civil matters.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015First Judicial DistrictNotice: All courts will be closed on Friday, April 3, 2015 in observance of GOOD FRIDAY , except Municipal Court's Arraignment Court and the filing of Emergency Protection from Abuse Petitions at t Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice, 1301 Filbert St.

Friday, March 27, 2015First Judicial DistrictNotice to Jurors: The eJuror system is being updated and is currently unavailable. Please mail your completed questionnaire to the court. The eJuror system will be back online after the maintenance is completed.

All documents are in Adobe PDF format.The latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software is required to view, print and search these PDF documents. Please download this free software from the Adobe Acrobat Web site.

Please note that the Philadelphia Courts does not provide Technical Support for Acrobat Reader Software. For technical support, please contact Adobe.

If you are an employee of the District, please state and spell your full name, payroll number, address of confinement and a phone number where you can be reached and the reason for your call (sick or FMLA).

During high volume times (7AM to 9AM) you may be required to call the system numerous times for accessibility to the system. To avoid this try calling outside of these hours

If address of confinement is different from your address of record, permission must be requested from your Administration.

If you must leave your place of confinement, you or your representative, must call the sick leave hotline and provide your time of departure, destination and approximate time of return.

If you are calling on behalf of an employee of the District, in addition to the employee's information previously requested, please include your name and relationship to the employee.

All documents are in Adobe PDF format.The latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software is required to view, print and search these PDF documents. Please download this free software from the Adobe Acrobat Web site.

Please note that the Philadelphia Courts does not provide Technical Support for Acrobat Reader Software. For technical support, please contact Adobe.

All documents are in Adobe PDF format.The latest version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software is required to view, print and search these PDF documents. Please download this free software from the Adobe Acrobat Web site.

Please note that the Philadelphia Courts does not provide Technical Support for Acrobat Reader Software. For technical support, please contact Adobe.

THE FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA complies with THE AMERICANS
with DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) which requires that all court services and facilities be as
reasonably accessible to persons with disabilities as those without disabilities. If you
have a disability and require reasonable accommodations to file a claim, participate in a
court proceeding, or use any service provided by THE FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF
PENNSYLVANIA, please call the appropriate ADA coordinator below. Requests for
reasonable accommodation must be made at least three business days in advance of
the court activity or within three business days following notice of the court activity,
whichever is later. Because some accommodations require additional time, as much
notice as possible is requested. On occasion, the court activity will be postponed until
accommodation is achieved.